The Force Within
by Whitetiger770
Summary: AU: Ronin Spar was a great Jedi knight, until he tasted the Darkside. Fearing that he would fall, Ronin left the order and became a mercenary. But when his younger brother and fellow Jedi, Able, is killed by a dark Jedi, Ronin must rediscover The Force Within.
1. Chapter 1

**The Force Within**

 **Authors note: I love Star Wars and I thought it was time to make a story in the galaxy far, far away. Now the storyline I am using is also the storyline to a comic book I am writing and I hope you all love it.**

 **I own nothing.**

 **Chapter 1: The force is strong with them.**

Aboard one of the carriers of The Rebel Alliance was Able, a Mandalorian pilot who was preparing his Y-Wing for the upcoming battle. They were going to go to the forest moon of Endor. As Able takes a breath while preparing, a droid rolls over to him and beeps to get his attention. Able looks over to the droid,

"Don't Worry, R-6. We'll be all right. We've been through a lot. I don't think one more battle is going to change it."

"That's the spirit little brother. As long as I'm here, the empire has a lot to worry about." Able felt himself in a playful headlock and looked to see his older brother, Ronin

"Ronin, come on. We're not kids anymore. Besides if you don't let go I'm telling mom," Able said. Ronin let go of Able's head and said,

"Alright you win you big cry baby. This is going to be it, little brother. This is where the empire falls."

"We can only hope big brother. I only hope that the force is with us."

"The force? I don't know about that. We got skill on our side," Ronin said with confidence. Another droid rolls up, looking very similar to the famed R2-D2 with an inverted color scheme, and expresses its thoughts through the similar beeps.

"Yes R-7. We have good droids too. Now what do you say? Let's show the empire what we are made of."

"You got it, big brother." The loud speaker turned on and captured everyone's attention,

"Attention all fighters! We are preparing for the jump to hyperspace. Please enter your ships and prepare for battle!" Ronin and Able look at each other and swing each other's arm and clasp each other's hand like they were arm wrestling. Ronin says,

"Remember little brother, no matter what happens I'll always have your back."

"And I got yours." With that the two boarded their respective ships, Able in his Y Wing and Ronin in his X Wing.

The Rebel Alliance had just reached the orbit of the forest moon of Endor. Ronin and Able flew amongst their allies ready for anything. Able talked to his brother through the intercom,

"Ronin… Does something not feel right to you?"

"Yeah, I feel it too. Be on your guard." General Lando's voice sounded both their ships,

"Break off the attack! The shield is still up! Pull up! All crafts pull up!" Hearing this both Ronin and Able turn their ships away from the Death Star. Ronin says in anger,

"Of course the empire wouldn't make something like this so easy."

"Ronin, we got fighters coming in!" Able yelled.

"Then let's show them what we are made of!"

"You got it!" Both brothers maneuvered between the TIE fighters and fired their blasters at them. When Ronin hit one he would cheer, the adrenaline pumping strongly through him. Able wouldn't make too much noise, just quickly focusing to destroy his next target. A massive explosion caught their eye and they saw that the Death Star was operational.

"Able, what should we do?"

"Why are you asking me?!"

"Cause you're always the smart one!" Able thought for a moment and then had an idea,

"We go after those Star Destroyers."

"That's crazy! I love it!" Ronin called out,

"They will never see it coming!" Both Ronin and Able turn their ships onto a nearby Star Destroyer and other fighters joined them in their effort. The Star Destroyer quickly turned its blasters to fire on them. Ronin and Able avoided the lasers coming towards them while their fellow fighters weren't so lucky. As Able saw his fellow pilots fall he couldn't help but say,

"They saw it coming!"

"Well they won't see this!" Ronin exclaimed. He looked at the four remaining pilots.

"You two with me we'll draw their fire! The other two stay with Able, you're going to make sure those bombers turn that destroyer into dust."

Able silently agreed with his brother and said to the pilots,

"Alright men you heard him, move out! Bombers follow my bombing formation, hit where I hit and it just might work!"

"What makes you think it'll work?" one of the pilots said fearfully.

"I trust my feelings; that's all I need." Able said to calm the pilot.

Able began bombing the center of the destroyer and other bombers started to follow him. Meanwhile Ronin and the other were drawing the fire of the destroyer, but that wasn't the only thing they had to worry about, TIE fighters were coming in to attack them. He takes out two turrets before a swarm of TIE fighters crested over the top of the star destroyer.

"Damn," Ronin said, "the rest of you keep attacking the guns; I'll draw the fighters away from us."

"Ronin, there are too many and they are too fast," one of the other fighters said over his com link.

"But I'm faster."

Ronin breaks off from the squadron and leads the TIE fighters away, dodging blasts as he went. The one closest to him starts to gain before it gets blasted by a crossing TIE fighter. He continues to outmaneuver them and lead them into dangerous parts of the battle, leaving only one fighter behind him.

The last remaining TIE fighter comes up behind him and hits his X-wing with a blast, rocking the ship. Ronin's ship is almost locked in the fighter's targeting system when Ronin drops his ship down sharply, leading the pursuing TIE fighter right into the side of the star destroyer.

Ronin meets up with Able.

"Ronin," Abel said. "We managed to damage most of the star destroyer. We need you to place one of your proton torpedoes into the opening into the hull. One blast there and the ship will turn to dust."

"My targeting computer is fried," Ronin said. "I'm going to have to do this the hard way."

Ronin turned back toward the star destroyer and began making his accent towards the opening in hull. He checked the diagnostics on his ship, seeing he only had one proton torpedo left. He dodged the blast from the last of the turrets. He puts a finger on the button to fire and the whole ship shut down. Ronin looked around, pressed some buttons, and slammed his fist on the controls.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ronin said. "R7, what can you do to fix this piece of junk?"

R7 beeped.

"Well, we'd better find a way then."

Ronin took a deep breath, put his hand on the controls, and listened to the silence of his cockpit.

Suddenly, the x-wing came back to life, lighting up and firing the final proton torpedo. Ronin turned the ship around and zoomed away from the explosion behind him.

"Great shot, Ronin," Abel said. "That was one in a million."

"It was all R7," Ronin said. "I don't know what happened back there, but I'm glad to be alive."

All of the sudden the pilots hear on their radios,

"The shields are down! Commence attack on the death star's main reactor!" Ronin says,

"What do you say little brother? Want to go for it?"

"You know it!" Able responds in good spirits. Ronin cheers,

"Today is a good day!" Ronin and Able take off towards the Millennium Falcon, which was leading the charge. They followed the Falcon and the fighters into the heart of the death star maneuvering through the vast labyrinth. Imperial fighters followed after them and Ronin and Able soon knew something was wrong,

"We are in the kill box! They'll pick us off one by one!"

"So we split up! Put our piloting skills to work!" Able responded.

"I'll take the high road, you take the low road, and we'll meet in the middle."

"That sounds like a plan!" Able said before they both slit up veering in opposite directions. Able moved in and out of the metal structures while dodging the interceptors' blasters with ease. He's confident that nothing can stop him, until one of the interceptors managed to land a hit on one of his engines. Able started to panic,

"No, no, no, no. R-6 get this thing working again!" R-6 beeped in response and quickly got to work; but there wasn't enough time. Able could see himself losing speed; he wouldn't survive at this rate. He forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath,

"The force is with me," he put his hand of the controls,

"The force is with me." Able concentrated on the destroyed engine. The engine slowly came back online, hiccupping at first, but then coming in on full blast. R-6 beeped in response. Able responded,

"That's all the time we will need. Now let's move!" Able makes his ship turn to the side and just makes it through a narrow passage way. The interceptors following him try the same thing but fail. Their wings scrape along the edge of the narrow passage way and they blow up from the impact of jamming. On the other side of the passageway Able's fighter makes it through. Able pulls out and finds himself floating outside of the Death Star.

"R-6 call Ronin. … Ronin, I didn't make it."

"Neither did I little brother," came Ronin's reply on the radio.

"Where are you?" Able asked.

"Look behind you." Able looks behind him and see's Ronin's X wing flying towards him. Able asked,

"What should we do? We got to get back in there!"

"Not with your damaged engine. I'll go back in and you cover me." Ronin said but noticed explosions coming from within the Death Star. A giant tower of fire spurted from the shaft and just a head of it was the Millennium Falcon. Both brothers cheered.

"They did it!" Able yelled out.

"You're damn right they did! Now let's go and celebrate!" Ronin called out in joy.

* * *

That night on the moon of Endor, everybody celebrated in the Ewoks' tree top village. Drinks were passed around and everyone was making merry. Ronin and Able stood next to each other, a little drunk, and happily retelling their battle to the ladies that stood around them.

"So there we were, I had to deliver the final shot into the star destroyer. When all the sudden my X wing dies on me! I thought I was dead in the water! But then it just comes back to life I fired my proton torpedoes and BAM! That destroyer turned to dust!" Ronin boasted. Able continued the story,

"That's an awesome story but you have to hear mine! We're flying through the Death Star and then we split up so that those interceptors don't hit us. During the run, one of the interceptors hits my engine. I'm losing speed and fast, I'm begging R-6 to fix it but it wasn't enough. All of the sudden I said 'The force is with me' over and over. The next thing I know, my engine kicks back into gear and I fly right out of there." The girls cheered happily and chatted among each other recounting the story that was just told. Able leaned into Ronin and whispered,

"So Ronin, which one do you want, the blonde or brunette?"

"Well, if you weren't here I would have both."

"Ronin don't be selfish."

"Alright I'll take the blonde."

"Thank you." Both Ronin and Able were about to go ask their respective choices out when they were stopped. They looked over to see none other than Luke Skywalker standing there. Luke spoke,

"Do you mind if I could speak to the two of you privately. It would only take a moment." Ronin and Able looked surprised and glanced at each other. Able huddles towards Ronin and excitedly whispers first,

"Luke Skywalker wants to talk to us. One of the greatest heroes the rebellion has ever known."

"I know he probably wants to know about our piloting skills. He'll probably ask us to join an elite Republic commando unit and weed out the rest of the empire. I say we take it." Ronin whispered just as excited.

"We shouldn't take his offer until we know what it is," Able warned.

"Your right. I just got excited. Sorry," Ronin responded but still excited. Both brothers turned around and said with an air of dignity,

"We would be honored to Master Skywalker." Luke motions with his hand,

"Follow me." Luke leads them a little ways from the party, just enough to still see some of the lights but far enough to not be heard by others. Luke spoke first,

"I couldn't help but overhear your stories. So tell me about yourselves." Ronin speaks first,

"There is not much to tell really. We're Mandalorians raised from birth to be warriors. We joined the rebellion not too long after the battle of Yavin 4. We felt that joining the rebellion was the honorable thing to do compare to the empire. They slaughter the innocent and they bring dishonor to true warriors like us." Able continued,

"Our father taught us that if you encounter someone who fights dishonorably you must fight back with honor." Luke looked a little impressed and knew what had to be done.

"What will the two of you do after the empire is gone and the war over?" Luke asked.

"We never really thought about it until now, we always thought that we die fighting the empire. What will we do then Ronin?" Abel said coming to the realization of the inevitable.

"I guess we'll just find another war to fight. Another cause and maybe we'll die like warriors." Ronin said coming to the same realization that Able had as well.

Seeing the way these two men looked trying to find purpose in something new, Luke asked them this question,

"What do the two of you know about the force?"

"The force is an energy field created by all living things." Ronin said as if he is just remembering something he heard.

"It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the universe together." Able said as if he was speaking from the heart.

"Anyone else would have fought for the empire because it would have been the easy choice. But you two choose to fight for the rebellion because you wanted to part of something bigger than yourselves. Being this close to the two of you I sense that the force is strong in both of you. I going to start the new Jedi order and would like for the two of you to join me."

"Of course, I'd love to be a Jedi." Able said with excitement.

"Me, a Jedi? I think you might have the wrong guy." Ronin said.

"Ronin, all our lives we knew we were meant for more than what was expected. We have a chance to do just that. You have more potential than anyone I know and you will be a great Jedi. If you are going to back down, then that doesn't sound like my big brother to me." Able said to show his support and hope to Ronin.

Ronin was moved by his brother's words and realized that he was right. If he were to put his mind to it he would make a great Jedi.

"Alright where do we start?" Ronin said to Luke.

"We look for others like us and find a place to call home." Luke said.

Ronin and Able now realized that they have taken their first steps into a much larger world.

 **To Be Continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Force Within**

 **Chapter 2: Brothers in Arms.**

Ten years had pass since the faithful battle of Endor. The Empire still exists but has been greatly weakened and the small rebel alliance has now grown into the New Republic. Slowly one by one the New Republic has been regaining territories that were once part of the empire. This has left a power struggle between those who were still loyal to the empire, warlords, crime syndicates, and the New Republic itself.

Meanwhile at Cloud City, a ship lands in one of the city's many docks. Two occupants exit the ship, wearing traditional Jedi robes with their faces covered with a hood. One was a lean muscular adult male and the other a small boy.

"Master, why are we here again?" the young boy says as the wind blows his hood off. He has short brown hair and green eyes.

"Ben, we are here to root out a group of spice dealers and have them lead us to their base of operations. Then we can tell the New Republic where to find it."

"Why is this city so high up?"

"They don't call it Cloud City for nothing. Come on Ben, we don't want to miss our contact." The two walked into the city and went for the nearest cantina. The inside is open and the walls and floors are made of metal. The lighting is a dim blue. Circular tables were about and the bar itself is circular and in the center of the room. There is a light crowd and the astromech were serving drinks.

The two Jedis entered the bar and sat at the nearest table in the cantina. The astromech rolled up to their table and the tall Jedi notice that the droid looked familiar to him, he just could not place his finger on it. All of the sudden the Jedi's thoughts are interrupted by the boy.

"Master, I think it wants to know our drinks," said Ben.

"Oh right, we'll both have water," said the Jedi.

The droid beeped and rolled off to the bar. Ben took in his surroundings and saw a group of various people sitting at a table not too far from theirs. They were all playing with cards and Ben recognized it,

"Master, isn't that Sabacc?"

"Yeah, it's not uncommon in a place like this. No reason why they shouldn't play, very good observation. You'll make a good Jedi yet." The room suddenly gets quiet and the Jedi and Ben look up to see what was the cause. In the door way stood a Mandalorian with traditional Mandalorian armor. Red plates of armor covered his body on top of a black lining with twin blaster pistols on both sides. A red helmet covered his head and the visor is shaped like a blue 'T'.

"Gentlemen," the Mando spoke as he walks to the table of those who were playing sabacc,

"Mind if I borrow your player here? You see he is wanted in two star systems and he is worth a lot; alive or dead. Oh, looking at my computer, you all have rewards on your heads."

"Well, we are not going to let you take us Mando," another at the table spoke while they all pulled out their blasters.

"Woah, woah, gentlemen why don't we make this a fair fight?" the Mandalorian walks back with his hands up. He picks up a glass from another table,

"Nar shaddaa rules. When this glass hits the ground, we draw. Ready?" The four criminals all get up from the table and stand a good distance from the Mando ready to shoot. The Mando throws the glass in the air and then pulls out his twin blasters and shoots them two by two. They all fall to the ground with smoking holes in their chests. The glass falls a moment later and shatters.

"Draw," the Mando says as he holsters his blasters. He then turns to the Jedi and Ben and walks towards them. Ben clenches his fists to hide his fear as the Mando gets close. The Jedi stands up and meets the Mando in a staring match.

"What are you looking at Jedi?"

"I think I'm looking at my brother, but then again he was never that good of a shot." Ben looked between two confused and expecting a fight but then the Mando laughs and takes off his helmet. The Jedi takes off his hood and the two brothers give each other a hug.

"Ronin!"

"Able!"

"I can't believe that old thing still fits you Ronin," Able said pointing out the armor.

"Hey I still have your old armor and I remember you saying that you weren't a big fan of the robes," Ronin responds.

"I still have your old robes, besides they can be confortable at times," Able gestures to his table,

"Ronin. Come take a seat." Ronin sits down and looks at Ben then back to Able,

"Who's the pipsqueak?"

"His name is Ben. He's my apprentice."

"You have an apprentice? Never thought I'd live to see the day." Ben looked up to Able,

"Master, you never told me you had a brother."

"You never asked," Able responds. Ronin points to himself,

"I'm surprised no one ever told you about me. Back on the training center on Yavin 4, Able and I were one of Master Skywalker's first dozen Jedi. I wasn't half bad."

"Half bad? Ben, this guy is one of the best light saber duelists you will ever meet and he's second only to me when it comes to force powers. Ronin was never afraid to use any power that came his way. He knows how to use force lighting and force choke," Able gloated. Ronin holds up his hand to stop him,

"That's enough." Ben looks at Ronin in curiosity,

"So are you a Jedi?"

"I was a Jedi. I closed myself off to the force years ago."

"Why?" Ben asks. Both Ronin and Able stare off into the distance for a moment, and then Able says,

"You don't need to know that Ben. There are some things you are not ready to hear." After a moment of awkward silence Ronin points to the table where the criminals once sat,

"Hey kid, why don't you go and cash those chips. The bounty on these guys is less now that they're dead." Ben looks at Able unsure of whether to follow Ronin's request.

"Do as he says Ben," Able says. Ben shrugs and goes to get the chips. Before the two brothers could talk the droid returns to the table with three drinks; two waters and one whisky. Ronin picks up the whisky,

"Thank you R-7. Call the crew; we got ourselves a good bounty today." R-7 beeps and rolls away. Able chuckles a little,

"You two are still as thick as thieves."

"Don't tell me you and R-6 parted ways."

"Actually, he's with my fiancé." Ronin sets down his glass,

"No way! You're getting married! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, what about you?"

"It's complicated, enough about me, tell me about the future Mrs. Spar."

"It's Rey."

"Rey Grel, that hot secretary to droid works CEO, Hal Mogo, who we saved from the Stormtroopers that tried to kill him and his family."

"After that she left the company and got a new job being personal assistant to the overseer of the new Republic to the Jedi. We've been seeing each other ever since. I'd love for you to be there."

"Count on it. So will it be a Mandalorian wedding or a Jedi wedding?"

"A traditional human wedding, it's her day and I'm just along for the ride."

"So what brings you to Cloud City?"

"Well since you asked. We're here to meet with an informant to root out a group of spice dealers." Abel then checked his chrono and continued the conversation with Ronin.

"Speaking of which, he's late. What could be keeping him?"

Ronin had a worried look on his face at what Able told him, Able didn't need to use the force to know that Ronin was worried about something. Ronin looked at Able and asked,

"He wouldn't happen to have been a timid guy, who sweats a lot?" Able gave Ronin a pointed look,

"Ronin. What happened?"

"I think I better show you."

* * *

Ronin opened a door to show the informant tied up and thrown amongst the cleaning supplies. The informant, a human, made sounds through his gag as he saw Ronin. The informant tries to squirm away but didn't have much room to move. Able pushes Ronin to the side,

"Ronin, I sense that he is very frightened."

"You don't need the force to see that." Able walks up to the informant and unties him,

"Sorry about that, you have nothing to fear. He looks scary but he is as gentle as they come."

"You know this Mando!?" the informant exclaims, still shaking in fear.

"Yes, he's my older brother. So now that we are here, where are the dealers?"

"Alright, I'll tell you where the dealers are but you got to move fast. They are loading up a shipment as we speak. They are at landing platform 9. They are smuggling them out, using antiques statues and pottery as covers." After telling the brother about what he knows the informant ran off never to be seen again, Ronin looks to Able,

"Well it looks like we are going to platform 9. Just like old times."

"I'm afraid I can't afford you Ronin"

"We're family, I'm sure we can work out a discount."

All of the sudden Ronin's jetpack light up and he was now hoovering over Able,

"I'll see you there little brother!" Ronin said as he flies off to the landing platform.

* * *

At platform 9 of Cloud City the spice dealers are loading up their cargo in the ship. A dealer carrying a box boasts,

"Can't you believe how easy this was? All we had to do was bribe a few officials, hide our spices into these old pieces of junk, and get our product out there without both the Empire and the New Republic will never be the wiser. I tell ya, it's a perfect plan!" The boss walks over after hearing the dealer and smacks him upside the head,

"Shut up and get back to work! We got to load these boxes in before nightfall." A little ways a way, Able walks up to the platform and is stopped by one of the guards.

"Hey, nobody is allowed through." Able waves his hand slowly in front of the guards face.

"You want to let me through."

"I want to let you through."

"You're going to take a break."

"I'm going to take a break." The guard then walks off without a fuss. Able walks in a bit, standing out in his Jedi robes. A silence falls as the dealers see their visitor. Able calls out,

"Gentlemen, by the order of the New Republic you are all under arrest. Come quietly and you'll be treated fairly." A moment later the boss calls out,

"Kill him!" Able takes out his light saber and ignites it. The dealers hold up their blasters and starts firing. Able blocks the blaster bolts with his glowing green blade in a flurry of green light. A few stray bolts make it through but only graze him. Though he was fine Able makes his way to a crate to use as cover.

"Hold your fire," the boss calls out,

"Well Jedi, you're surrounded! So either die or let us go!"

"Not going to happen!" Able yells back.

"What chance do you have? You are all alone!"

"I'm never alone! The force provides a way!" Able responds as Ronin moves from his position under the platform. Ronin uses his jet pack to fly into the sky and he fires a few shots from his blaster pistols, hitting a few of the dealers in the chest. The dealers turn to face Ronin to fire at him. Able jumps out from behind the crates and strikes the guy on the left and then pivots and stabs the guy to the right. The dealers were now spilt between the Jedi and the Mandolorain. The dealers shoot at Ronin and his armor deflects all the blaster bolts.

When one particular blaster bolt gets too close to his jet pack, Ronin decides to land. He looks below for a landing spot but doesn't see any. While holding his blaster in his right hand, Ronin holds out his left and points it towards the ground. He lets the flamethrower fire and clears the area below them. Spice dealers either ran or dove out of the way and Ronin took this opportunity to land. He quickly moved towards Able once he was on the ground. The two brothers stood back to back as they found themselves surrounded. The two grinned.

"Just like old times, little brother."

"You bet big brother." The brothers get to work and start shooting or cutting down those around them. It wasn't long before a voice called out,

"Retreat! Get to the ship!" Upon this order the remaining dealers started to run back towards the ship. The ship had already started up and was slowly lifting into the air ready to leave its own men behind. Able held out his hand and reached out with his feelings and used the force to hold the ship in place.

Inside the ship the boss panicked,

"Why aren't we moving?"

"I don't know!" the subordinate responded trying to move the wheel. The boss looked at the dock from the window,

"It's the Jedi! Prep the blasters. We are going to annihilate him!"

Outside the ship Able saw the blasters turn towards him. Ronin moved in front of him,

"Don't worry, I got this." Ronin pressed a button on his gauntlet and the missile mounted on his jet backpack fired and blew the ship's blaster to rubble. The inside of the ship catches fire and the cabin starts to fill with smoke. The subordinate coughed as the smoke filled the room and started to panic,

"I can't see!" He turned the wheel by accident and the ship to turn and wobble. Able let go of the ship and watched it crash.

"Damn, I'm good," Ronin said as he puffed out his chest in pride.

"Ronin, it's obvious that it was the fire and smoke. Besides, I'm the one who held it in place."

"You just can't let me have my moment," Ronin says. As the two brothers continued to talk, the boss makes his way out of the fallen ship. He runs right past the two who don't bother to make a move for him. Ronin gestures to Able,

"Able would you care to capture him?" Able shakes his head,

"No, you wanted your moment and this is it."

"Thank you." Ronin aims his gauntlet at the feeling man, taking his time aiming.

"Ronin." Able warns.

"I got it, I got it… and there." Ronin fires a small black disk at the boss. It hits him square in the back and electrocutes him. The boss falls to the ground, knocked unconscious. The two brothers look at each other.

"I'll go get him, you go call the New Republic," Ronin states as he jogs towards their spoil. Able pulls out his holo and calls the New Republic security officer Bressh Tekken. The holo blips and shows a small of hologram of Bressh; an older man wearing the uniform of a republic security officer.

"Able, please tell me you have good news."

"I do Bressh. I stopped the spice dealers and captured the leader."

"Excellent, when can I expect you?" Bressh asked.

"Not yet, I had help. A mandalorian volunteered his services in return for compensation." Just at this moment Ronin had returned dragging the boss behind him by his collar. Bressh sighed,

"How much does he want?"

"Well his asking prices weren't cheap … and he's asking…" Able looks up to Ronin who holds up 5 fingers.

"5,000 credits." Able looks to see Ronin motioning towards his jet backpack and holds up two fingers this time.

"He is also asking for another 2,000 credits for damage to his jet pack."

"7,000 credits. I didn't know it would be that steep," Bressh says angrily.

"Oh, he just said he could get more if he went to the empire."

"Fine, I'll transfer the credits first thing in the morning." Able nods to Bressh,

"Much obliged Bressh." Able then ends the call. Ronin then lays the boss at Able's feet,

"Good working with you. By the way, where is your apprentice?" Able has a look of realization crossed his face,

"Oh no, I left him in the cantina!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ronin says as he finishes tying up the Boss.

In the distance they see what looks like Ben running towards them, he has a look of fear about him. Before they knew it Ben was now face to face to the two of them, he was breathing very heavily.

"Master….There was a bunch….of…..scary looking…..people….in the Cantina." Ben said as he was trying to catch his breath.

The two looked at each other.

"I guess the dealers must have sent some men looking for the informant that you captured," Ronin said to Able.

"I believe that was you, Ronin," Able said to Ronin. Able, Ronin, and Ben make their way back to the Cantina and stop just outside and toss the Boss into the closet where Ronin put the informant that they found earlier. Able keeps his lightsaber ready while Ben hides behind him. Ronin pulls out his twin blaster pistols and walks in the Cantina. After a moment Ronin holsters the blaster pistols and asks,

"Ben, I don't see any scary people." Ronin calls out to a small group sitting at one of the tables,

"Ryzen! Did you see any scary people around here?" A dark green trandoshan stood up and towered over his group. He spoke in low grunting sounds and hisses and a golden droid that sat next to him translated,

"I believe he said; 'If there were surely scary people they wouldn't have gotten past me and I would have received many points from the score keeper'. I myself have never understood such ideals but I enjoy any good excuse to fight." Ben looked confused as he stared at Ryzen, unsure of why Ronin was talking to it.

"Ryzen, did you scare this poor kid?" Ryzen responded with a few low grunting sounds.

"I think he was talking about you Lana," a blue female twi'lek responded.

"Oh Ce'na, if I wanted to scare that boy, he would know what true fear is." Lana responded. Lana's has chestnut brown hair tied back into a braided ponytail and short bangs. Her golden irises glowed as she spoke and Ben noticed the light saber attached to her belt. Ronin shrugged,

"Ryzen, I'm not going to lie. You do come off as a bit intimidating."

"You understand that thing!" Ben called out.

"Hey. That thing happens to be my friend and he happens to understand you," Ronin snaps,

"Don't tell me you've never seen a trandoshan before?" A woman with a Core World accent spoke up from the table,

"Ronin, I believe we better move these bodies to the collection agency before they start to smell worse than they already do." Ben looked at the woman. She has blonde hair that is tied up in a bun and blue eyes. She wore a black jacket and pants with a gray shirt and black gloves.

"For once, I agree with Andromeda," another woman states as she holds her nose. This woman has red hair and emerald green eyes. Ben also notices that she had a light saber as well but it looked different like the handle was longer and looked like it was two lightsabers welded together.

"Ok, Crystal. You and Andromeda can bring the collection agency here and we'll watch the bodies." Ce'na stood up,

"I'll think I will join them. I can't take another minute of this smell." While the other girls leave, Lana leans back and puts her feet up on the table,

"This is why I use the force. Blocks out the smell and everything."

"R-7 and I shall stay here. Unlike the flesh-lings we do not possess noses or a sense of smell," the golden droid said in his usual friendly and pleasant way.

"Thanks CK that means a lot." CK walks up to Ben and gives a small bow and becomes eyelevel.

"Greetings little one. I am CK-101. I specialize in protocol and combat. My makers wanted a droid who is both a translator and an assassin." CK holds out his hand to shake with Ben,

"Do not worry little one. I do not bite. I do not have teeth." Ben reaches his hand out but CK's words stop him,

"But I can crush every bone in your body with my bare hands." Ben quickly withdraws his hand. Ryzen walks to Ben and holds out his claw to shake Ben's hand. Ben hesitates to reach out.

"You have nothing to fear little one. Ryzen would never hunt a creature like you. He would consider it dishonorable to his beliefs and he would receive low points from the scorekeeper. Even though he has killed three wookies with his bare claws."

Ben takes Ryzen's claw and shakes it; it felt very scaly and not slimy like he thought it would feel like. Lana stands up and walks over to Ben and bends over him patronizingly locking her gold eyes with his green ones. She pats his head and speaks in a mock loving manner,

"Hello there little one, my name is Lana Talon. What's your name?"

"Ben Stormbringer"

"Aren't you just adorable. I could just eat you up." Ben's eyes widen just a bit. Lana whispers into Ben's ear,

"Can you sense what I am within the force?" Ben thinks for a moment and whispers back,

"Only that you're strong in the force." Lana smirks,

"Thank you boy." In that moment the girls re-entered the bar with a collection agency worker. The worker was a Bothan who looked exhausted. He complained loudly as they walked towards the rest of the group,

"This better be important. You took me away from my calf break." The Bothan looks at the bodies then at the crew,

"Alright, who is responsible?" Ronin lazily lifts his hand,

"That would be me." The Bothan pulls out a data pad and starts typing,

"Ok, we will need to close off the cantina to move all these bodies and I'll need a thumb print and a name. I'll also need you to provide your clan name to prove that you are a certified mandalorian warrior." Ronin takes off his glove and places his thumb on the data pad,

"I'm Ronin Spar of the Spar Clan. I've been a mandalorian all my life." After a few beeps on the pad the Bothan shoves his thumb towards the door,

"It all checks out. We'll wire the money to your account. Now get out." Ronin turns to Able and Ben,

"Hey, you guys want to see our ship?"

"Sure, why not," Able responds.

* * *

"This is my ship! 'The Crimson Rouge'!" Ronin says proudly as they reach the dock. It was a big ship colored crimson with what looked like added armor and weapons,

"Nice, where did you get it?" Able asks.

"I stole it. Didn't cost me one credit."

"Who did you steal it from?" Able asks narrowing his eyes.

"Don't worry he's dead and he wasn't exactly the nicest of people. I think he was a member of the Black Sun."

"Did it always look like this?"

"No, we added some armor plating and new weapons. We're hoping to create a port where we can put both an X-wing and a TIE fighter. I swear, I just don't know when to stop," Ronin looks at Ben,

"Hey pipsqueak, do you want to meet the rest of my crew?" Ben nods,

"Ok."

"Alright now you've already met Lana Talon, Ryzen Fess, CK-101 and R7-E3." R7 bleeped and CK spoke,

"I speak for both my companion and I when I say, it was a pleasure to meet you. Maybe one day, we will meet in battle." Ryzen makes some grunts and clicks and CK translates,

"Ryzen also says it was nice to meet you." Ronin pointed towards the other girls,

"Now the red-head is Princess Crystal Shawn a well-trained Jedi counselor." Crystal waves gracefully at Able,

"It was good to see you again Able!"

"It's good to see you too Crystal. You keep Ronin out of trouble now."

"And now meet Androma Star, former imperial specforce of Inferno Squad."

"It is very nice to meet you. Hopefully, we will meet again someday."

"And finally Ce'na Vao, one hell of a scoundrel from Ryloth." Ce'na shurgs,

"Hey, you need me to open a huteise plasma lock, I'm your girl." Ronin held out his hand to Able,

"We better get going; we're always on the road. I love it." Able clasps his hand,

"I know you do. Hey are you going to be at my wedding?" Ronin nods,

"You know it." Ronin pulls out a data pad,

"Here is my holofrequency. If you ever need me, just call. And the next one is on me. Good bye little brother"

"Good bye big brother." Ronin's ship's ramp opens up and they start to board. While Able and Ben are watching the ship take off; Ben says to Able,

"Master, when I got up this morning I didn't think anything like this would happen today."

"Neither did I."

* * *

On the ship Ronin and Crystal are sitting on the foot of Ronin's bed. They both are holding a glass of wine. Crystal is wearing a red nightgown that was both classy and sexy. Ronin is just wearing pants, which shows off his mandalorian tattoo on his right bicep.

"To good pay and a successful mission," Ronin said.

"To seeing loved ones again," Crystal said.

Ronin and Crystal clinked their glasses together and both took a drink of wine. After that they put down their glasses on a table not too far from the bed. Ronin looked at Crystal with a questioning look.

"So what was that toast was all about?" Ronin said.

"I sense that you were thinking about your brother and was hoping you would talk about it," Crystal said.

"You know I sometimes miss shielding my mind from you. … I was glad to see him again but I feel like, that I- I don't know how to feel."

"Did you think he would be angry at you?" Ronin thinks for a moment and looks at Crystal,

"Is it wrong to think I did? What I did, few people ever come back from." Crystal takes Ronin's face into her hands and looks into his eyes,

"No one blames you. Not Able and not me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone with you." Ronin chuckles a bit,

"And here I thought it was my good looks."

"I love you," Crystal whispers.

"I know," Ronin replies then goes in for a kiss and wraps his arms around her and she wraps her arms around his neck returning the kiss. The door to Ronin's room opening up interrupts their kiss. Andromeda is standing in her nightwear, a black tanks top and short shorts. Her blonde hair, usually done up, is now down and stops at her mid-back.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Not at all," Ronin says gesturing to Andromeda with one arm while the other remained around Crystal. Andromeda walks over and lets Ronin pull her into him and they share their own kiss. Crystal whines,

"Oh come on Andromeda you had him yesterday."

"And you had him for the two days before that." Their conversation was interrupted by a new voice,

"Oh, talk about drama in this place." Ce'na stands in the doorway wearing a white slave outfit, she does a little pose. Ronin looks her up and down,

"What's with the outfit?"

"It's my old outfit from my time as a slave. You like?"

"You know I do," Ronin says beckoning her over with a look. Ce'na saunters over and takes a seat in his lap ready to go in for a kiss but is stopped by another voice. It was Lana's turn to be standing in the doorway, her hair was down and she only wore an oversized purple shirt,

"Looks like I'm the last one to show up, but you know what they say. Save the best for last." She moves towards the group and sits behind Ronin and starts rubbing his shoulders.

"This is a pleasant surprise, all four of you here. I'm not complaining."

* * *

Ben and Able were walking to their ship. Ben looked to his master and asked a question,

"Master did you know any of Ronin's crew before today?"

"Well, I did know both Ryzen and R-7 during the war and then after that Princess Crystal joined us to train as a Jedi. Ronin and her became close and when Ronin left the order she went with him."

"What about that woman, Lana? She had a light saber and I sensed that she was strong in the force," Ben explains.

"She didn't train with us at the academy but there have been those strong in the force that hid away during the days of the empire. Besides Ronin's always been a good judge of character-" Able's senses lit up at the strong presence of the dark side. Able pulls out his lightsaber and says,

"Ben hide. Now. Don't come out until it is safe."

"But Master?"

"Do as you're told!" Able motions for Ben to hide behind some crates. Ben moves slowly at first but quickens when he senses the dark side himself. Ben watching from behind the crates as his Master activates his blade and lets the green light surround him. Able turns towards the slowly approaching figure. The man had long black hair in a low hanging ponytail. His face was painted like a skull and his clothes were a mixture of blacks and whites with linings of red to evoke the strength of the empire.

"Who are you?" Able asks.

"Who I am is of no consequence. But I can tell you that I am the head of The Emperor's Blade," the man responds with intimidating but quiet tones. The man pulls out his own lightsaber and activates the red blade.

"Now, die Jedi." They clashed in a flurry of red and green. The man started with strong unyielding attacks and Able is entirely on the defensive blocking the moves with little difficulty. Able looks for an opening but finds none and decides to make his own opening. He pushed the man back with his light saber and uses the force to pick up nearby objects. He throws them at the man. The man cuts the first projectile in half then dodges the next. He catches the last object and uses the force to send it back. The object hits Able and knocks the wind out of him.

The man uses this moment to attack Able, but Able recovers and knocks the attack away. Able is now on the offensive reversing their roles from earlier. The man blocks the attacks and lets out a low laugh sounding somewhat impressed,

"You're good." The man then uses the force and pushes him back into a nearby wall. As Able tries to get back his bearings as the man walks slowly towards him,

"But I'm better." When the man approaches Able brings his lightsaber up high and tries to swing it down on the man but his wrist is caught, stopping the momentum. The man looks at Able,

"Really? I expected more. Any last words, Jedi?"

"My brother… is going to hunt you down," Able says defiantly.

"I'd like to see him try," the man says before pulling back his lightsaber and thrusts it into Able's chest. Able makes a gasp before he closes his eyes in death, his own light saber turning off and falls to the ground. The man takes his light saber out and lets Able crumple sliding against the wall. The man deactivates his saber and holsters it. He turns and walks back the way he came, a slight smile resting on his face.

When the man was long gone, Ben stumbles out from his hiding place and almost crawls his way towards Able.

"Master?"

"… Ben." Ben looks at Able not expecting him to still be moving. Able takes a rattling breath,

"Don't worry… There is no death for a Jedi." Ben couldn't help the sob that escaped his throat.

"Master please don't leave me. You're the only family I have." Able continues though his voice is growing quieter,

"If I had it my way, I'd never leave you; but I know you you'll find a new family." Ben clenches his hands and says with anger,

"I'll find him master and make him pay for what he did to you." Able shakes his head and coughs a bit,

"Don't give into hatred Ben... If you do, you'll be no different… from the man who killed me…" Able's body slumps and Ben feels his master's essence leave his body. Ben breaks down and cries over his Master's unmoving form. He felt more alone than ever.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Force Within**

 **Chapter 3: Quest for Blood**

The Crimson Rouge was flying through the emptiness of open space; it looked like a pleasant cruise. Inside of Ronin's bedroom, Ronin was fast asleep in his bed with Crystal, Andromeda, Lana and Ce'na all in bed with him. Anyone would have thought the situation was impossible, but Ronin had a way about him that got four beautiful women to share him. Crystal woke up with a start when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Ronin started to stir in response to her,

"Crystal, what's wrong?"

"I felt as if a sharp pain was in my chest and then… nothing."

"What do you think it could be?"

"I don't know, but something feels wrong in the force."

Ronin just looked at her about to ask more when all of the sudden there was a beep on his communicator telling him he had a call to answer, Ronin ran his fingers through his short dark blonde hair. Some of the girls groaned at the sound of the communicator.

"Uh, Ronin could you take that outside, some of us are trying to sleep." Ce'na said groggily.

"Who could be calling at this time?" Ronin said as he grabbed the communicator. He went outside of his room and turned it on. A picture of young Ben appeared. Ronin is at first confused that the young apprentice is calling him instead of Able.

"Um…Ben right? Where is Able?" Ronin said with a little worry in his voice.

"Master Able, he's…dead." Ben said trying to hold back his tears. Ronin is over come with shock at what he hears. It felt as if he was dropped in the middle of Hoth dressed as he is, during a bizzard. His brother was gone; he was never going to see him again. In his life he had lost many people from his many years of fighting, both friends and comrades. He never thought that Able would be one of them.

"What happened?" Ronin said with a bit of cold in his voice. Ben wiped the tears from his eyes,

"He was attacked and killed. I couldn't do anything; I wasn't strong enough."

"Are you still on Bespin?" Ben nods and sniffs a little.

"We'll pick you up and take you back to Yavin 4."

* * *

The crew of the Crimson Rouge flew back to Bespin. After the call Ronin told everyone what he had learned from Ben's call. Crystal, Ryzen and R-7 were just as broken up about Able's death as Ronin; they had worked with him for a long time. The other members may not have known Able as well but they gave their sympathies as well. When they landed they wasted no time taking Ben aboard. Ronin made sure to load Able's body himself. Once their tasks were complete they took off to Yavin 4, to the Jedi Praxeum.

Before they knew it they came out of hyperspace with a clear view of the planet. Ronin felt a coil of unease set in his gut as he stared at the green-blue planet.

As the ship broke the atmosphere they passed over the giant pyramid that served as the training ground for the new generation of Jedi. Andromeda at the control of the ship looked for a place to land. She looked to see that Ronin was uneasy about coming here; she always found it funny that Ronin said that he was a Jedi. A mandoloran mercenary she could believe, now to be fair she never met a Jedi until she met Crystal. To her Crystal looked and acted like the Jedi from the stories she was told by her friends in Imperial Intelligence.

The ship landed in the once air field of the rebel alliance not too far from the pyramid. When ships door open Ronin gets up from his seat and goes to walk outside he turns to the rest of the crew.

"Alright everybody, I don't feel like going out there alone and I would like it if you all would come with me. If not I wouldn't hold it against you."

The rest of the crew got up in response to his words, except for Lana who stayed in her seat.

"Ronin, I don't think it would be a good idea if I went down there."

Ronin nodded at her words and the rest go to the outside. Once they walked down the runway to the outside they are met by none other than Luke Skywalker and over a dozen Jedi knights.

"It's good to see you again Ronin." Said Jedi master Luke Skywalker. Luke looked over the rest of the crew and gives them a nod.

"Is this all of them?"

"We have someone watching our ship for us." Ronin said.

"I'm sure your crewmember does not have to worry about the ship."

"It's complicated master Skywalker. I ask you to respect her choice."

"Alright, is it alright if my Jedi retrieve Able's body?"

"Master Skywalker, my crew and I will handle that." Luke nodded and went back into the pyramid. The crew of the Crimson Rouge went back into the ship and handed Able's body to Jedi that meet them.

* * *

Before the ceremony to cremate Able, Ronin is met by some familiar faces from his past, which included Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, Kam Solusar, Saba Sebatyne and finally Mara Jade Skywalker Luke's wife and formal Imperial assassin. Ronin thought about walking up to them and asking what was new in their life. Ronin was at first surprised that Luke and Mara got married; I mean when they met she tried to kill him. Then again that's not too different from how he met Lana.

Crystal decided to walk up to them and started talking to them as if there was no time lost between them. Being born a Princess, she was a trained to be a diplomat as soon as she could walk. Crystal looked over to Ronin and motioned him over to his once friends. Ronin was now face to face with his once friends.

"It's good to see you again Ronin." Said Corran holding his hand out for him to shake it, Ronin takes his hand and shakes it.

"It's good to see all of you too, even you Mara." Mara responded with a smirk.

"Is Crystal keeping you out of trouble tough guy?" Said Mara in a joking manner, she knew that Ronin has a way of getting into trouble.

"She tries. How's married life?"

Mara thought for a short time about her current situation of hers as both a Jedi knight and wife of the head of the new Jedi orders.

"It's great, I love the farm boy. Speaking of relationships Crystal tells me she not the only girl wrapped around your finger. Is one woman not enough for you?"

Ronin laughs a little at Mara's remark. She was never afraid to speak her mind; it was one of the many things Ronin liked about her. Crystal pats Ronin's shoulder to let him know that she was happy to see him talk with his friends. He let's his eyes wander and stops on Rey, Able's fiancé, who was standing next to R-6. It takes a moment but Ronin eventually decides to walk over. His feet are heavy as durasteel as he finally walks up and catches her attention.

"... I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." Rey looks at him for only a moment before her eyes tear up and she latches onto him in a hug.

"Promise me… you'll find whoever did this." Ronin returns the hug in kind.

"I promise."

* * *

Not too long after, Able's body was set on the pyre and lit. Everyone stood in the opened air chamber and watched on in silence. Many kept their heads bowed while a few would whisper to one another. Rey stood silently letting the tears freely fall down her face. Ben, who stood not too far from her, had his fists clenched and his mouth twisted into a scowl. His eyes never once left the fire. Ronin stood fighting the hollowed feeling inside. Death was no stranger to him but as he watched Able's body burn, he felt a part of him was burning in the fire as well. He is snapped out of his feeling as he feels his crew surround him in a silent comfort. Staring at all the faces around him, Ronin realized just how much Able touched these lives in one way or another. He now felt a resolve build within him. He will find the one who killed his brother and he will make him wish he was never born.

After the fire claimed his body, Luke took Ronin to his study where he pulled out a dusty box.

"Able asked me to keep this for him. He said you would be back for it one day. I never thought that it would be today." Luke hands the box to Ronin who opens it slowly and finds himself laughing dryly about it.

"He did have it all this time, I didn't believe him." Inside the box was Ronin's old jedi gear; a folded up black robe with a white sleeveless overcoat, a light saber and shoto blade sitting on top. Ronin stares at the gear for a moment before setting the lid back on the box. He holds onto the box and offers his right hand to Luke grabs it with his right. They shake hands.

"Thank you Master Skywalker."

"You were one of my best students Ronin."

"That means a lot coming from you."

"Where will you go now?" Ronin looks Luke straight in the face with determination.

"You know where I'll go."

"Then may the force be with you." Ronin nods and walks out of the study, box in hand.

* * *

The next day the crew of the Crimson Rouge was preparing to take off into space. The ship took off and as soon as it was in space they went right to light speed. Ronin asked everyone to gather in the main hall of the ship, they all arrived not too long after. They all gathered in a circle Ronin is dressed in full Mandolorian armor with the helmet on the table. Ronin looked to see if they were all there and spoke,

"As you all know my brother was killed. I will find out who did it and I will kill him. If any of you want out I will not stop you." There is a moment of silence between everyone and then Crystal spoke up.

"Ronin I followed you to the galaxy's edge, I'm not going to turn back now. Count me in." CK spoke up after that.

"Master if I were to let you fight this without me I would be betraying my primary programing to protect you." R7 then beeped a response and CK translated.

"R7 says that he will fight as well." Ryzen nods his head with the look of a hunter on the prowl that let Ronin know that he was in all the way.

"If the Empire is behind this, you'll need someone with the knowledge to fight them." Andromeda said with confidence in her voice.

"I'm always itching for a good fight and if this guy killed somebody as tough as your brother. Well I want a piece of him." Lana said with an edge of anticipation.

"I guess it all comes down to me. Ronin, I've got a bad feeling about this. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't help you. So thanks to peer pressure, I guess I'm in too." Ce'na said with resignation in her voice.

Ronin smiled at his crew and thanked his lucky stars that they would be here for him in his crazy quest. As they were finishing up their piece Crystal suddenly goes quiet and looks around,

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? I don't hear anything," Ce'na replies putting a hand on her hip. Lana starts to look around as well,

"I hear it too. It's becoming from beneath the floor."

"It's probably a Kowakian monkey-lizard," Ronin suggests. Andromeda wrinkles her nose,

"Oh, those things are disgusting. I'll kill it the moment I see it."

"I'm already on it," Lana says as she pulls out her saber. Ryzen interrupts her with a series of clicks and hisses.

"Ryzen says that his heat vision sees something much bigger than a Kowakian monkey-lizard," CK responds.

"Where is it buddy?" Ronin asks to which Ryzen points to the secret hatch leading to the smugglers den below. Everyone pulls out his or her weapons ready for a fight while Ronin moves quietly to open the hatch. They all hold their breath as the hatch slowly opens only to release it when they see who is lying in the bottom. Ben is almost curled up on himself as he looks up sheepishly at the crew.

"Hi. Nice space you got here."

"Ben, what are you doing here?!" Ronin asked as Ben climbs out.

"I want to come with you! Master Able was my friend and teacher. So I'm coming whether you like it or not!"

"You're in over your head. We will be fighting someone who killed my brother. One of the toughest I've ever seen. I've taken on storm troopers with just a blaster pistol and my bare hands. I've infiltrated star destroyers as a specforce marine! What makes you think you'll be of any help?"

"Master Able was the only family I ever had. I grew up alone on the streets until Master Able found me… I've got nothing to lose." Ben says as his eyes tear up. Ronin gives a long sigh,

"What are we going to do with him?" CK raises his hand up to respond,

"Master, I have a solution. It will be quick and easy. We can throw him out the airlock!"

"CK. He would die."

"I didn't say it would be painless."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea CK. Let's show him the airlock," Lana says as she enjoys the small look of horror crossing Ben's face.

"We could just turn around and drop him back off at the academy," Crystal pipes in annoyed at her friend's antics.

"Alright, Andromeda put in a course for Yavin 4. We'll turn around as soon as we leave light speed." Ronin says as he starts to walk away from Ben. Ben clenches his fists in frustration as the adults kept talking about what to do with him.

"Wait! I saw who did it!" The room falls into silence as tension fills the void. After a few painfully quiet moments Ronin finally turns around and kneels in front of Ben. Ben found himself unable to look away from the intense stare Ronin gave him.

"What did he look like?"

"He was big. He wore nothing but black with a red sash. And… uh his face looked like a skull."

"Probably war paint. Anything else?"

"He used a red light saber."

"He's either Sith or dark Jedi."

"What's the difference?" Ben asks. Lana scoffs and stares at Ben,

"A Sith follows a different code than the Jedi. A dark Jedi, is a Jedi that has embraced the dark side. A Sith believes in freedom, a dark Jedi believes in domination." Ronin grabs Ben by the shoulders and pulls his attention back to him.

"Do you know anything else? Did he say anything? Come on Ben! Remember!" Crystal places her hand softly on Ronin's shoulders and calms him instantly.

"Let me." Crystal takes Ronin's place and looks at Ben.

"Ok, I'm going to look into your mind."

"Is it going to hurt?"

"There are two possible ways it may hurt. If you resist or if I force my way in, so all you have to do is let me in and you'll be fine." Ben nods and takes a deep breath. Crystal places both of hands on his head and uses her thumbs to message his temples.

"Just relax and think back to that moment." As Ben thought back to the memory of Able's death, he could feel Crystals presence wash over him like a wave upon the shore. He feels himself floating along until he opens his eyes and finds himself staring at the back of his Master.

" _Ben hide. Now. Don't come out until it is safe."_

 _"But Master?"_

 _"Do as your told!" Able motions for Ben to hide behind some crates. Ben moves slowly at first but quickens when he senses the dark side himself. Ben watching from behind the crates as his Master activates his blade and lets the green light surround him. Able turns towards the slowly approaching figure. The man had long black hair in a low hanging ponytail. His face was painted like a skull and his clothes were a mixture of blacks and whites with linings of red to evoke the strength of the empire._

 _"Who are you?" Able asks._

 _"Who I am is of no consequence. But I can tell you that I am the head of The Emperor's Blade," the man responds with intimidating but quiet tones. The man pulls out his own lightsaber and activates the red blade._

Crystal watches the scene as it plays before her and frowns. She watches as Able fights the assassin off only for him to be cornered.

" _My brother… is going to hunt you down," Able says defiantly._

 _"I'd like to see him try," the man says before pulling back his lightsaber and thrusts it into Able's chest. Able makes a gasp before he closes his eyes in death, his own light saber turning off and falls to the ground. The man takes his light saber out and lets Able crumple sliding against the wall. The man deactivates his saber and holsters it. He turns and walks back the way he came, a slight smile resting on his face._

Crystal knew those words rang true. If anyone could stop the head of the Emperor's Blade, it was Ronin.

 _When the man was long gone, Ben stumbles out from his hiding place and almost crawls his way towards Able._

 _"Master?"_

 _"… Ben." Ben looks at Able not expecting him to still be moving. Able takes a rattling breath,_

 _"Don't worry… There is no death for a Jedi." Ben couldn't help the sob that escaped his throat._

" _Master please don't leave me. You're the only family I have." Able continues though his voice is growing quieter,_

" _If I had it my way, I'd never leave you; but I know you you'll find a new family." Ben clenches his hands and says with anger,_

" _I'll find him master and make him pay for what he did to you." Able shakes his head and coughs a bit,_

" _Don't give into hatred Ben... If you do, you'll be no different… from the man who killed me…" Able's body slumps and Ben feels his master's essence leave his body._

Crystal looks as Ben breaks down and cries over his Master's unmoving form. She goes to consul him but only to have her hand phase through his form. She pulls herself back as a stray tear falls down her cheeks. She releases the force from Ben and she finds herself back in reality.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Crystal pats Bens head as she collects herself,

"Andromeda, have you heard of something called the Emperor's Blade?"

"The Emperor's Blade? That's just a myth to frighten young recruits."

"Who are they?" Ronin asks leaving no room for arguing.

"Some of my friend in imperial intelligence told me stories about some secret death squad in The Empire, called the Emperor's blade. It was composed of a dreadknot class star destroyer's worth of criminals, psychopaths, elite shock troopers, death troopers, and inquisitors. From what I heard they were monsters, killing and burning anything in their path without logic or reason. If the emperor had set them on Alderaan, what the death star did would have been a mercy. Of course, assuming they are real."

Crystal goes to a nearby table and starts sketching the man she saw kill Able. After the sketch is done she hands it to Andromeda.

"That is the man I saw kill Able. Now I want you to show that to your friends and see if they know anything."

"I'll ask around but I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the emperor's blade."

"At least we will know who he is," Ronin says walking to look at what was drawn, burning it into his memory.

* * *

Inside of the war room of the Dreadknot destroyer 'Goliath' a group of imperial generals and admirals sat in the center of the room in a round table. The door opens and the inquisitor walks into the room his black robe with his lightsaber hanging from his red sash he sits at the empty chair. Along with the inquisitor is what looks like a shadow guard standing behind him the whole time.

"Gentlemen welcome I am Kraven leader of the Emperors Blade. I have asked you all here for a simple reason. I want you all to join me and help us take back the Empire."

One of the admirals spoke up to Kraven,

"What makes you think you can, the Empire maybe fractured but there are others with more clout to unite us than you. To be fair the Emperors blade is known by many as tall tales. What proof do you have that you're not a bunch of tricksters trying to gain power in the empire?"

"Admiral, our proof died with the Emperor. I'm asking that you put faith in me and our crew." The Admiral then pulls out his blaster and points it at Kraven.

"What's to stop me from killing you right now?"

"Because you're not fast enough." The Admiral then fires several rounds of blaster fire while Kraven rolls out of his chair with unnatural speed. Kraven pulls out his lightsaber as he charges towards the Admiral. Before another shot is fired, Kraven slices through the Admiral's arm and his neck. As the head rolled, Kraven straighten up turned off his lightsaber. He then walked back to his chair.

"Now, I want you all to know. I understand if you want to question my logic, even I have bad ideas. I also believe we can learn from our failures. What I cannot stand is treachery. You see loyalty is the foundation of all healthy relationships. If any of you ever think of double-crossing me, I'll kill you without a second though. Is that understood?" All the admirals and generals nod in agreement.

"Good. Now let us begin with our first mission."

* * *

It took a few moments before Andromeda heard back from her friends in intelligence.

"That was quicker than I thought," she said as she poked around the files on her data pad.

"What do you have?" Ronin asks.

"What don't I have? Then again I shouldn't expect any less from Imperial intelligence. Name: Kraven Trodd. Born on Lothal. Joined the stormtrooper program but upon the discovery that he was force sensitive; he was given to the Grand Inquisitor for training. He excelled in his training and was considered by many of his former classmates to be the deadliest. After killing five jedi from the clone wars he was promoted by the emperor himself. He was then transferred to a top secret project."

"And then…"

"Nothing. The dossier ends here."

"Is he wearing the war paint?" Ronin asks. Andromeda turns the data pad around to show Kraven's image.

"That's him!" Ben called out.

"Why does he wear it?" Ronin asks.

"According to his psychological report, he wears it believing that he cannot be killed. That he is death itself."

"So how do we find them? It's not like there is a big neon sign saying 'Secret Imperial Death Squad Right Here!'" Ce'na says with sass.

"He could have friends? Someone from his training days that could still be in contact with him."

"I agree with Lana. Everybody has friends." Crystals replies. Andromeda scrolls through the report,

"It seems he was close to a fellow cadet named Dax Whitson; and according to imperial intelligence he washed out of the inquisitors. Apparently he was not strong enough in the force. He is now a high-ranking gangster on Nar Shaddaa." Andromeda lowers her data pad as Ronin walks through the group heading towards the cockpit.

"I think we all know where we are going. To Nar Shaddaa."


End file.
